October 6, 2024

Luke 6:1-11

Missing The Point

Sunday Sermons

In Luke 6, the rising tension between the Pharisees and Jesus continues to build. At the surface level, the tension concerns the Sabbath, its purpose, and its practice. In his wisdom, Jesus reveals and corrects the harsh legalism of the Pharisees who had turned the Sabbath into a form of slavery. Their rigid external rule-following revealed an internal self-righteousness that had calloused their hearts.

Join Pastor Tommy as we study the two accounts found in Luke 6:1-11 in which Jesus exposes the perils of legalism and demonstrates the freedom and transforming power of His gospel.

Speaker

Tommy Bailey

Series

The Gospel According to Luke

Go to Series

Scripture

Luke 6:1-11

Topics
Community Life Growth & Discipleship Spiritual Disciplines Suffering

Sermon Notes

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
Genesis 2:2–3

“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”
Deuteronomy 5:15

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28–29

1. The Heavy Labor of Legalism

Sabbath had become slavery

“Externally, [Sabbath] meant ceasing from…ordinary tasks in order to meet with God. Internally, it involved ceasing from all self-sufficiency in order to rest in God’s grace.”
Sinclair Ferguson

“The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation.”
Charles Spurgeon

“Like wax, the heart takes the shape of that which warms it.”
Michael Reeves

2. An Unending Rest in Jesus

Sabbath points to Salvation

“The day is coming when there shall be a congregation that shall never break up, and a Sabbath that shall never end, a song of praise that shall never cease, and an assembly that shall never be dispersed.”
J.C. Ryle

“O Lord, who is as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, who beholds your weak creatures, weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of hope deferred, weary of self, in your abundant compassion and unutterable tenderness, bring us, we ask you, unto your rest.”
Christina Rossetti

Discussion Questions

  1. Do you have any “favorite” rules or traditions from the Bible, or that have been derived from it, that you tend to enforce on yourself and others? Is it possible you’re in danger of missing the point as the Pharisees did in this passage?
  2. Are you tired? What is making you weary and in need of God’s offered rest?
  3. The passage and teaching remind us of what Sabbath rest truly means. How can you ensure that your Sabbath involves meaningful activities that refresh your spirit and serve others?

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs:

“King Forevermore”
“On Christ the Solid Rock”
“Speak O Lord”
“Jesus What a Friend for Sinners”
“O Praise the Name”
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois

All songs are used by Permission. CCLI License #200369

Call To Worship: At The Cross

Most merciful God, thank You for sending to us Your Son, Jesus. We remember this day His redeeming death, that we might stand forgiven at the cross. Thank You for sending to us Your Son, Jesus, to whom we belong, in life and in death. He bore our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Most holy God, thank You for sending to us Your Son, Jesus, who became sin for us and suffered the punishment due to us, that we might stand forgiven at the cross. In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.

Confession:

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Classic Prayer: John Wallace Suter, Jr, 1890-1977

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of man, you did not come to be served, but to serve. Give us grace to lay aside all our vanity, clothe us with your power, and crown us with your humility, that finally, in the glory of serving, we may stand beside your throne, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit you reign, one God, now and forever.

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